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Sunday, December 11, 2011

A Christmas Star Wreath

Let me start off with apologizing for the photo quality. I am using my iPod touch, which doesn't have a very good camera in it, but at least it allows me to capture things on the fly.

My version of the Twig Star by Between U & Me

I had seen this sweet tutorial for a rustic star tree topper at Between U and Me and I just knew that I wanted to make something like that for the Crafters' Yankee Swap party that my friend Darlene is hosting this week.

Sweet rustic star tree topper by Between U and Me

I wanted it to be more of a wall hanging than a star for the tree. I didn't have any chicken wire so I looked for something else that was rustic that would serve as a good background for my version of the star. I found a red jute/burlap bag at the local Dollar Store yesterday and thought it would be perfect for my star.

My hubby and daughter went out for a walk with the puppy today and I tasked them to bring back the twigs I needed for this project. They brought back some perfectly sized alder branches, which we trimmed down to 5 inch lengths. I glued the pieces together and made a basic star shape.

I didn't have any twine so I had another plan for covering the glue seams. So I cut up the red burlap bag and glued it down to the back of my star, one point at a time. The nice thing about the bag is that it had a plasticky (is that a word) backing laminated to it, so it prevented the hot glue from seeping through and thus any nasty hot glue burns.

Once the fabric was in place, I cut up some artificial fir greenery and red berries that I scavenged from a wreath that I purchased at the Thrift Store yesterday. I glued the green tips and berries over the glue seams on the star. I used a bit of leftover wire from the berry bunched and created a hanging loop for the back. Then I created a little red bow from leftover burlap, which I glued to the top of the star.

So fuzzy pictures aside, what do you think of my version of the star. I like the simplicity of the original and I may just make one like that some day too, but I thought my version would be a nice decorative accent for a door or wall over the holidays. The best part is that I was able to use Dollar Store and thrifted and found materials so the cost on this was very low. I hope the recipient at the swap loves it.

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About Me

We are Candace & Johanne, two friends who love to transform ordinary and cast away items into things of beauty. At least that's the plan.
A work colleague in Rochester gave us the nickname of Salt & Pepper a few years ago. Since Salt & Pepper are a dynamic duo in the kitchen, we figured it was pretty fitting for us, since we're pretty awesome and all. So Candace is Salt and Johanne is Pepper, a nod to our blonde and brunette hair, respectively.